Highlights

• Animal Well offers a unique Metroidvania experience without a heavy plot, focusing on gameplay and exploration.
• The Last Faith combines elements of Soulsborne with Metroidvania gameplay, emphasizing combat and exploration in a gothic setting.
• Like Animal Well, Semblance features puzzle-platforming gameplay with a squishy protagonist in a surreal world.

Made by shared memory, Animal well is an unusual research action or 'Metroidvania' game. There is no gothic heroism like in Castlevaniaor science fiction drama like Metroid. There's not much of a story, really. At least not in text. Players simply guide their blob through labyrinthine levels, learning more as they progress, gaining new abilities, and encountering new animals… if they don't find the blob first.

It's an intriguing game, with few others quite like it. However, it will be a while before an 'Animal Well 2' or something similar appears. If Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid are not scratching the itch for news Animal well fans, they might like it these great ones, Good-Metroidvania games.

7 The last faith

Metascore: 72

Ever wonder what would happen if someone combined Metroidvania with a Soulsborne game? Where players can explore new areas with every new ability or power-up they obtain, and then be punished for it if they're not careful? That's what Kumi Souls Games intended when they made The last faith. Your hero, Eryk, is in a race against time to recover his lost memories before he completely loses his mind and consciousness.

But to do so, he must explore the gothic ruins of Mythringal in search of clues and defend himself against its host of ghouls and monsters. It leans more toward combat, offering a variety of melee and firearms. However, its oppressive horror atmosphere will be perfect for fans who enjoyed Animal wellstrange charm.

6 Pikuniku

Metascore: 76

• Developer: Sectordub.
• Release: January 2019.
• Platforms: Linux, macOS, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One.

While Animal well adheres to gameplay to tell its story, Pikuniku has a relatively fast-paced plot. After being mistaken for a monster, Piku is imprisoned by the locals. To gain his freedom, he must repair the bridge he accidentally broke. Once free, he'll be able to explore the world and face the sinister Mr. Sunshine and his robots.

The game isn't the most rigorous example of a Metroidvania, as there are only a few sections that require a power-up or subsequent ability to access. But it's a fun and cute puzzle platformer where players will have to think outside the box to progress. It even features a two-player co-op mode, where Piku and Niku use their elastic shapeshifting to reach new sections together.

5 Appearance

Metascore: 79

As Animal well, Appearance puts players in the role of a small, squishy blob. Their world has been infected with a green plague that turns the land hard and rigid instead of soft and flexible. The only way to stop this is to collect enough pink orbs to neutralize the threat. It's a surreal premise, but it meshes well with the gameplay, as players use their stretching and squeezing abilities to progress through the levels.

They can distort some of the levels to create extra ledges or depressions to avoid obstacles and float over deadly pits and spikes. It's more of a puzzle platformer than a Metroidvania, as players must carefully plot their way through the levels. But, like a Metroidvania game, they can explore the blob's world in any order they choose. Any form of progression is fine if the player is still earning these orbs.

4 Momodora: Moonlight Daydream

Metascore: 82

Bombservice has been doing Momodora games since 2010. Fortunately, Momodora: Moonlight Daydreamis a prequel, so players won't miss much if they start with this one. Set 400 years before the original game, players control the priestess Kaho as she attempts to rid the kingdom of Karst of a curse that spreads across the land.

The game combines 2D platforming with combat, as Kaho can fight enemies up close with a leaf or from a distance with a bow. If her dodging and jumping skills can't get her through an area, she can find and use various items to help get the job done. This, in addition to learning new spells, can help ease challenging boss fights.

3 Verge Axiom

Metascore: 84

If players thought The last faith and Momodora were heavy compared to Animal wellthey didn't check Verge Axiom. Directly inspired by Metroid, its story involves mysterious alien races, interdimensional travel, questions of identity, cloning, and much more. But how Animal wellbegins simply enough, when scientist Trace Eschenbrenner wakes up after an accident and finds himself on an alien planet.

To find out what happened to him, he must explore his surroundings. At first, he only has a few abilities. But as he explores the planet Sudra, he can find up to 60 new items and upgrades to help him fight less friendly lifeforms and obstacles. It's not as challenging as La-Mulanaalthough it offers a more complicated time than Pikunikuand views as strange, if not stranger, than Animal wellthe distorted fauna.

2 La-Mulana

Metascore: 87 (Wii), 78 (Switch)

• Developer: Project GR3 (original), Nigoro (remake).
• Release: June 2006 (original), July 2012 (remake).
• Platforms: PC, Linux, macOS, Wii, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch.

La-Mulana swaps the blobby protagonist for a more Indiana Jones-inspired figure, but it's still about exploring vast, labyrinthine levels however the player wants. As long as they can handle the difficulty. The game is a tribute to old MSX games like Galious's Labyrinthand goes beyond deliberately low-resolution pixel graphics.

The original developers, GR3 Project, felt that difficult games weren't as common in their original release as they were in the 8-bit era. So, La-Mulana was designed to be more challenging and to make players think twice before jumping into deep pits or threatening-looking areas. Especially since there are few health items in the tombs. If players want a challenge, La-Mulana will be right up their alley.

1 Hollow Knight

Metascore: 90

Animal well takes familiar animals like deer, cats, kangaroos, etc., and makes them scary and potentially threatening. So fans can feel right at home with Hollow Knight and its animal-themed NPCs. They will offer items, advice, and knowledge as the titular Knight explores the underground ruins of Hallownest, a kingdom ravaged by a mysterious disease.

It's more plot heavy than Animal well, although its gameplay is a true delight. The better the player is at melee combat, the more Soul they'll gain to cast magic. By using both well, they can explore more of Hallownest and find items that will give the Knight more abilities, such as double jump and dash attacks. It's one of the most acclaimed Metroidvanias on the market, making it a must-play for any fan who hasn't yet checked it out.